The invention concerns a transport cart, especially a shopping cart, which can be pushed into a cart of the same type, which is equipped with a facility for accommodating merchandise, generally in the form of a basket, which has a rearward handle bar extending transversely which is mounted arranged at its ends by means of connection elements on lateral supporting arms, and which serves for moving the cart. The cart has a deposit lock in the handle vicinity and a key for locking to one another carts standing in a parking column or for releasing the cart standing preferably at the end of the column in exchange for inserting a deposit token. The deposit lock secures the deposit token upon release of a cart and releases it when the cart is coupled on again. The deposit lock is arranged between the connection element on the one hand and the correspondingly shortened handle bar on the other.
A transport cart with such a position of the deposit lock is known from German utility model 93 13 499. In this connection, a cylindrical support is installed on each of two opposite sides of the lock housing. The one support is inserted into the handle bar and screwed in there. The other support is inserted into a cylindrical attachment of a handle cap functioning as a connecting element and locked there with the aid of an expansion anchor, whereby the handle cap is also attached on its supporting arm at the same time. The deposit lock is thereby braced on the handle bar as well as secured against rotation on one of the two handle supporting arms. In return, however, the ergonomically beneficial outer handle area near the supporting arm is lost, as becomes clear from FIG. 1 of the utility model. Moreover, the multi-part configuration increases assembly expenditures.
Furthermore, mounting the deposit lock separately from the handle cap above one of the supporting arms is known from European patent No. 508 193. One obtains thereby an absolutely stable arrangement of the lock, secure from rotation in particular. In return, one must, however, install two different parts on the supporting arm mentioned.
Finally, providing the deposit lock housing with a pocket-shaped continuation to be pushed back on the lateral supporting arm and with a cylindrical hub for insertion of the handle bar is known from European published patent application No. 0 199 274. In this way, the deposit lock is braced in a form-locking manner on the supporting arm and on the handle, so that an intentional rotation is ruled out. On the other hand, in this case, the deposit lock projects relatively far upwardly, so that it can be damaged during loading and unloading the cart. Conditions are similar with the European patent No. 518 094.